Abstract

This presentation explores the art of Belly dance as a profound embodied practice capable of bridging the arcane and the divine. Westerners mostly misunderstand this dance form, which weaves ancient primal forces with the discourse of the sacred feminine. This talk hopes to move beyond profane, ethnocentric Western perspectives on this multi-faceted dance.

It is interesting and unexpected how some of the spiritual healing rituals of Egypt and other places in North Africa find their way into Belly dance cabaret performances. For example, dancers will perform a stage version of "The Zāar." The Zāar ritual is rooted in working-class and rural communities; trance healing traditions such as Zāar reveal a belief in the body's ability to channel unseen forces. Through rhythmic movement, altered states, and placation of spirits, diseases of mind and body are healed within a community setting.

Data from thirty years of professional dance and teaching experience examines how belly dance invokes divine archetypes, offering a path to interiority and self-reclamation. Belly dance is a dance and an archetype that stimulates shadow projections, making it potentially transformative for some. This talk will reveal how the sacred geometry of circles, spirals, and figure eights becomes a living prayer in Belly dance. The snake is a totem of belly dance, inspiring many of the moves. The serpent, a symbol of danger and renewal, mirrors the paradoxical nature of belly dance—sensual yet sacred, personal yet universal.

This dance translates the voice of the Earth through the body and has the potential to heal trauma and reclaim forgotten knowledge. Belly dance is more than mere entertainment; it is a method of poetic transcendence and a conduit for the sacred feminine.

 About the speaker

Paula Marie Staunton (Ishtar) is a dancer, choreographer, and researcher specialising in Middle Eastern and Eastern dance forms, including belly dance, North African trance dance, and Bollywood styles.

With a BA in Applied Psychology and Women's Studies and an MSc in Transpersonal Psychology, Consciousness, and Spirituality, their work explores the intersections of movement, mythology, ecology and esoteric traditions.

Focusing on dance as a bridge between the arcane and the divine, Paula uses over 30 years of experience performing and teaching in diverse settings to add to her theoretical knowledge. Her work in dance includes dance shows, health contexts, schools, and international retreats. Paula has also directed various community shows and films. Their work integrates academic research with lived practice, highlighting belly dance as a transformative, healing, and socially engaged art form.

The video recording of the event will be available on our YouTube channel Spirituality and the Arts Special Interest Group 

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For more details, see https://spiritualitystudiesnetwork.org/Spirituality-and-the-Arts-SIG

The SIG Chairs: the Rev. Prof. June Boyce-Tillman, Dr Lila Moore, Annalisa Burello.